Proteinuria Follow-up
- Author: Edgar V Lerma, MD, FACP, FASN, FAHA; Chief Editor: Vecihi Batuman, MD, FACP, FASN more...
Further Inpatient Care
- Inpatient care is necessary only if the patient develops complications of severe nephrotic syndrome.
Further Outpatient Care
- Patients may require regular follow-up care by a family physician, general internal medicine specialist, or nephrologist, depending on the cause and setting of proteinuria.
- Monitoring of proteinuria, the presence or absence of other indicators of renal disease, complications of nephrotic syndrome, treatment effectiveness, and adverse effects is required.
Transfer
- If patients are not monitored by a nephrologist, transfer to a nephrologist is indicated if the patient develops proteinuria, any adverse prognostic markers (eg, rise in albumin excretion of > 1 g/d), or any worsening in renal function.
Complications
- Pulmonary edema due to fluid overload
- Acute renal failure due to intravascular depletion
- Increased risk of bacterial infection, including spontaneous bacterial peritonitis
- Increased risk of arterial and venous thrombosis, including renal vein thrombosis
- Increased risk of cardiovascular disease
Prognosis
- The prognosis depends on the cause, duration, and degree of proteinuria.
- Young adults with transient or orthostatic proteinuria have a benign prognosis.
- Patients with hypertension and microalbuminuria (or higher degrees of albuminuria) have a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
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